Property: A two-bedroom, one-bath single-family home in San Francisco's Excelsior district

Appraised value: $476,000

First loan: $362,200

Loan type: 30-year fixed

Rate: 3.625 percent

Backstory: Parrott layered two different first-time home buyer programs so his client was able to purchase with just a 5 percent down payment and pay no mortgage insurance.

Along with their 30-year fixed mortgage, the buyers used the San Francisco Mayor's Office of Housing's Down Payment Assistance Loan Program (DALP) that provided a silent second loan of $70,000 at no interest with no monthly payments. The program will share in a portion of any profit that might be realized when they sell the property.

Parrott also knew that his client qualified for the mayor's office of housing's Teacher Next Door program so they were able to get a third loan of $20,000, also at zero percent interest, with no payments. That loan will be 100 percent forgiven if the homeowner stays in the home for 10 years while continuing to teach in the San Francisco Unified School District.

Finally, he helped his clients get a Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC), to provide an ongoing tax credit of 15 percent of the interest they pay on their first loan for as long as they have that loan. In the first five years that will save them $9,372 in federal income taxes.

"In a competitive market, it can be hard to get a seller to go for an offer with no down payment assistance because of perceived uncertainty," Parrott said. "But we'll call the listing agent after an offer is presented and tell them not to be afraid of the program."

The finances came together, but a personal touch possibly was the deciding factor, he said.

"The buyer has two girls who wrote a letter to the seller telling them how much they loved the yard and how they wanted the home," he said. "It was a wise move by the Realtor to have them do that. I think it made the sale."